


Mending

by mishiko



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Because my Eggsy deserves the world, Eggsy as Galahad, Finally finish this piece, Gen, Getting Together, Harry Hart Lives, Harry as the new Arthur, Harry's finally getting his shit together, M/M, MI6 references, Post-Movie(s), Rating is purely because of Eggsy's language, Very brief mention of past James-Lancelot/Percival, communication is key, fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 21:36:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7591327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishiko/pseuds/mishiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as Eggsy is getting used to his new life as a Kingsman agent, a bomb is dropped on him in the form of a living Harry Hart. How do you deal with a situation where your supposedly-dead mentor/friend/possibly-owner-of-your-heart turns up to be your boss after leaving your to grieve for 6 months?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mending

**Author's Note:**

> I am so happy I've finally finished writing this one, I can't even put it into words. And I know, I know that this trope has probably been done to death but this is my take on it. Having started this over a year ago, I thought it would become part of my unfinished work (I suppose I needed a deadline to get my writing going!). It also kept growing whenever I went back to it. So yes, I'm definitely proud that it's finally finished! 
> 
> It is self-beta-ed so any mistakes are all mine, and I'm not British either but have done my best with the Brit-picked. Hope you all still enjoy it though!

 

Just when Eggsy is about to get used to his new life, it decides to throw him another curve ball.

It has been six months since the fucked up V-Day. One would think that after a near-apocalypse, there wouldn’t be much to do while the world recuperates.

Eggsy gets to find out first hand that that is not the case whatsoever. Chaos is what criminals, terrorists and wannabe villains want and so all of the Kingsman agents were kept very busy for the first few months.

The agency has not only lost their leader, but also a number of agents during the hour or so of uncontrolled violence. It works out in Eggsy’s favour however, since it gave Merlin an excuse to appoint him as their new Galahad almost immediately and he got on with what he was born to do alongside Roxy and what was left of the agency.

And after the dust has finally settled in the fifth month, no one has questioned how there are two agents from the same recruitment process. They have also filled out the rest of the members, except for the place at the head of the table.

Eggsy doesn’t know, or rather, he doesn’t really want to know who will become the next Arthur. Their last one has been nothing but a fucking shit memory to Eggsy, he really wished that the next Arthur would be less of a snob with a stronger sense of moral.

He lets himself wish in the quietest part of the night that his own predecessor would have made a brilliant Arthur if he was here. It is the only time Eggsy would let his guard down to mourn for the best man he has ever known.

This is likely why when Eggsy enters the dining room for his brief for a new mission and sees who is sitting at the head of the table, he only stops in his track.

“I’ve gone bonkers then,” he says to himself because how else can Harry Hart be here, sitting there as if he hasn’t got shot in the head in front of Eggsy’s eyes. All of those nights thinking ( _wishing and hoping and yearning_ ) of Harry has finally made him go mad.

A part of him wonders why he is feeling so calm about this. He should be panicking, yet if he was truly honest with himself, it’s relief he’s feeling. May be this way, there’d be no more endless nights with regrets and grief.

“I truly hope not.” As quickly as the shock and calmness have settled, they are blown away by the short sentence spoken in an all too familiar posh voice and accent. The face is neutral but the brown eyes have the same warmness as before. It looks so real that it tilts Eggsy’s world and he has to brace himself with the back of the nearest chair to stop himself from collapsing on the ground.

His legs have suddenly lost their strengths and he can’t find his voice. He must look like a gaping fish out of the water and the neutral expression on the other man’s face has finally changed to something akin to worry.

“Eggsy?” One word, then it was like his ears are stuffed with cotton, muffling any other sounds other than his racing heart.

He just knows, without a doubt, that this man in front of him is Harry Hart.

The same man who has given Eggsy a chance to make a difference in his life. The one regret he has ever had since Harry got shot in the head before Eggsy could redeem himself.

And here he is now, having stood up and walking towards him. Eggsy vaguely registers a pink line of newly grown skin forming a scar on the man’s left temple but the rest of his brain is still struggling to get back online.

Eggsy isn’t sure if he wants to punch the man in the face or kiss the life out of him more. When he can stop his knees from buckling if he releases his hold on the chair that is.

“You're supposed t’be dead,” the sentence leaves Eggsy’s mouth before he could stop it. There is confusion and happiness and a bud of anger warring under his skin.

“Duty calls,” as if that is enough to explain how one survives a bullet in the brain. “The bullet has only grazed the side of my head. I suppose we have to thank Valentine’s weak stomach that they didn’t bother to check the body.” Eggsy’s brain wonders if Harry has come out of that with a psychic ability to read minds as well since that answers his unasked question.

“So you’ve been alive? All this time?” May be Eggsy is experiencing an out of body experience because there is no way in hell his voice would tremble this much if he has any control over his body. They’ve trained him better than this, damn it.

“Yes.” Something like regret laced through the answer and for a brief moment, Eggsy sees it in the warm, brown eyes too. But he isn’t in a state to analyse over that yet, and he’s still not sure if he’d like to punch or kiss Harry for the past 6 months that Eggsy has to live with the thought of this man dead.

“Fuckin' hell,” he swears and tries to breathe in and out to calm his pounding heart. Now that the shock is wearing off, the sting of betrayal is creeping up along his spine. It is ridiculous that he’s feeling like this since Harry being alive is what his heart has been longing for. Yet, there is anger simmering in his blood for being kept in the dark.

Because the man in front of him doesn’t look like he has just come out of the hospital. Just from the fact that he was sitting at the head of the table tells him that he has been around long enough to be reinstated as their new boss. He is also wearing an impeccable dark grey suit with his hair slicked back like it was another day in the office. Like he hadn’t been at the wrong end of Valentine’s gun in Kentucky.

Like Eggsy hasn’t spent the last six bloody months mourning for him. 

“Merlin knows?” Eggsy’s voice is quiet now, possibly the most toneless anyone has ever heard. And Eggsy is expecting only one answer, because there is no way in hell Harry would be here without the agency’s magician’s knowledge.

“Yes.” That is enough to get him straightening up again. It explains why Merlin has been looking at him with something similar to guilt lately.

“Did you intentionally keep me in the dark?” One thing that he has learned from his job is to get all of the necessary information first before acting. So Eggsy asks the question that he doesn’t really want to know the answer to, because his gut knows what it would be.

The slight pause is enough to tell Eggsy that his instinct is right and the spoken word just merely confirms it.

“Yes.” So Galahad nods to himself at that and takes a deep breath. He isn’t going to let his hurt show. He has to demonstrate that they have trained him well after all.

The agent squares his shoulders and turns to look at the older man in the eye. “Arthur,” because who else would this man be. He then turns around and leaves the room.

He’s a little proud of himself for not slamming any doors on his way out but Eggsy _needs_ to get out now. Before his composure cracks and the bitter emotions takes control over his actions then God knows what might happen.

Fuck his mission and fuck Harry Hart. If the man didn’t think he was trustworthy enough after all this time, then Eggsy needs to step back and reevaluate his priorities. He’s had enough of shit people in his life and he’s got pieces of his heart to put back together again. Eggsy supposes he should be grateful that he got his heart back from somewhere in Kentucky but for now, he doesn’t want to see, hear or even think about it.

 

\-----

 

Of course, Harry not-fucking-dead-after-all Hart is the only thing on his mind after that. His feelings switch back and forth between the relief and happiness that Harry’s alive and the anger and betrayal from being left out to grieve and mourn for the man.

Merlin seems to know that he must have found out about the truth already because Eggsy has a few days of peace outside of HQ. Roxy’s away on a mission so he can’t go and confide with her.

Instead, he rents a car, picks up JB and just drives out of London. His mum thinks he is on another business trip for the tailor shop. (It is his cover story every time he has a mission. He’s sure his mum suspects that he is not telling the whole truth because what kind of a tailor assistant travels this much and comes home with bruises but she hasn’t confronted him about it yet.)

He has no destination in mind, only the thought that he needs to get away from everything to recollect his thoughts. And driving relaxes him. His plan is to find a quiet road that he can press down on his pedal and speeds along it. May be do a few tricks and maneuvers, there are always some open fields in the countryside.

 

\-----

 

The driving did help as well as walks in the countryside. Eggsy’s never been a nature kind of person but maybe he just needs a change of scenery. Having JB as a company helps too and the pug seems to enjoy being able to run around freely in big, open spaces.

However, Eggsy knows he can’t stay away forever. The anger has dampened down and he is still a Kingsman regardless of how wounded his pride ( _and heart_ ) may be. He’s just not sure though if Harry and he can go back to the way they were from _before_.

The more he thinks about it, the more it gives him a headache ( _and heartache_ ) and Eggsy has enough of that in his life. If Harry didn’t think Eggsy deserves to know that he wasn’t dead, then it’s probably time Eggsy steps away and move on. And he will not be so petty as to let this get in a way of him doing his job properly.

Arthur is Arthur and Eggsy can damn well be a fan-fucking-tastic Galahad.

 

\-----

 

Eggsy goes back to London on the fourth day and return to HQ on the fifth. He wears one of his newer suits, a simple piece in classic charcoal colour along with his glasses and has his hair perfectly coiffed. He goes down to see Merlin first, not quite sure if he wants an apology from the magician or to say thank you for letting him have a few days of peace.

“Ah Galahad, I hope you are ready because we have a new mission for you.” Merlin saves him the trouble of deciding and instead, presents him with the new brief. Eggsy doesn’t know whether this is the one he was supposed to be assigned on when he found out about Har-, the new Arthur, or not but he honestly doesn’t care right now.

“One last thing, try this.” It looks like an ordinary PPK handgun but when Eggsy’s right hand wraps around the handle, a small green light lights up.

“It was a pet project of a dear friend of mine, a palm-encoded Walther. More specifically, this one is encoded to your palms only, both left and right. Try with the left please,” Eggsy’s eyebrow rises at the description and he transfers the gun to his left palm to see another green light.

“If anyone else tries to use your gun, it will give out an electric shock strong enough to kill a bull. So I advise you be careful with it and try not to lose it.” The weight of the gun is light in his hands and Eggsy can’t wait to try it out.

“Now, what did he say? Ah, yes. It’s _‘less of a random killing machine, more of a personal statement_ ’, I believe.” The slightly cryptic sentence makes Eggsy’s lips quirk into a small smile and Merlin looks pleased all of the sudden. It’s then that he realises what this is.

“Not bad at all Merlin. Though next time, makes me something that will explode will ya?” Eggsy allows for a small smirk to tell the magician that his apology is accepted. In which Merlin acknowledged that by the familiar eye rolled and a complaint about how the younger generation has no respect for subtlety.

“Now get along lad, the terrorists aren’t going to wait for you.” Eggsy can’t help throwing in a cheeky wink but leave the room without further comment.

And if he takes a long way around out of HQ to avoid the dining room (where the head of the agency usually spends his day), it’s no one’s business to mind.

 

\-----

 

Harry didn’t quite realise it at first, for which he supposes he must give credit to the young man.

He, of course, wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from Eggsy after having intentionally let the boy think that he was dead for half a year. He was quite certain that Eggsy would punch him, and Harry was determined not to block or fight back.  

So he was a little surprised that all Eggsy did was look like he had seen a ghost (perhaps he did). And then Eggsy just gave him a nod with a neutral facial expression, shoulders squared. A part of him was proud at how far his successor has handled the situation with calmness, like a gentleman would.

He promptly ignored the part where he wanted nothing more but to pull the younger man into his arms and tell him how much he had missed him. And if he would allow himself to be perfectly honest, how much he is still missing Eggsy.

Eggsy only took a few days off before he came back and carried on as if nothing has happened.

It seemed like everything was finally settling down after months of undercover work for Harry. Tracing back Chester King’s influence and eliminating any moles in the agency took priority and demanded the utmost secrecy. Harry had only contacted Merlin when he had no other choice but to ask for the magician’s assistance on his mission.

Or perhaps he has been trying to give himself excuses because he does not want to acknowledge the fact that he has misjudged the situation entirely.

He has picked it right up, of course, that Eggsy is putting some distance between himself and Harry. Whenever he comes for the brief or debrief, Eggsy is all about politeness and professionalism as one would expect from a Kingsman agent.

And that was fine by Harry since he is the head of the UK branch now, even if a part of him misses the cheeks. He has even entertained the thought that perhaps Eggsy was trying out a different persona as an agent.

It was only when Eggsy was sent on a joint mission with Lancelot that Harry has finally witnessed how he is perhaps the only one Eggsy is giving the cold shoulder to. They were penetrating a rising drug empire, the objective is to gather as much information as possible and the mission was getting to the point where the two agents had to physically make their way through their base. Harry was listening in as the new Arthur, overseeing the mission.

“Nice shot, Lancelot.” Even though he cannot see Eggsy’s face, Harry can still hear the young man’s grin.

“Don’t tell me you are going to make me do all of the hard work, Galahad.” Lancelot sounds serious on the surface but it just made Eggsy laugh. Harry was struck with the sudden realisation of how much he has been missing his former mentee’s laugh and how long it has been since he has last heard that sound.

“Oh, can’t let that happen, can I. Won’t be gentlemanly of me,” before a few rounds of bullets came through the video feed.

“How about we do a game, Lancelot? The person who shoots down the most goons wins. The looser has to treat the winner to drinks at the pub. Merlin can be the referee.” Eggsy proposed in between the shooting.

“May I remind you, Galahad, that the place you are in has a leader who enjoys torturing captured government agents for her own personal pleasure? I don’t think this is the time, or place, for fun and game.” Merlin’s dry comment cut in before Lancelot could answer and Harry could almost hear a pout in Eggsy’s reply.

“You’re no fun at all Merlin.” That was when it hit Harry. Eggsy has no qualm bantering with anyone else except him.

And the most unsettling thing was how much that fact affected Harry’s feelings.

The mission turned out to be a success even if their two agents came out slightly worse for wear. Harry did not explicitly order for the overnight stay in the Medical but the head of their care unit has known the new Arthur long enough to hear what was not said.

Harry slipped in quietly when he was sure that both of the agents were asleep. He did not stay long but the urge to reach out and card his fingers through the blond hair was so strong that he had to turn away and walked out.

Harry Hart does not lie to himself. The worst thing one can do as an agent is to loose tract of the facts. Information can be the most dangerous weapon and ignorance, the ultimate weakness. No matter how terrible the situation is, it is better to go in knowing the truth.

And so he recognised it then, that the affection he has been feeling for their new Galahad isn’t just something one normally feels for a mentee. This runs deeper, and much closer to his heart. Something he has thought was not going to come into his life anymore, considering his age and occupation.

He may not be head over heels for the boy just yet, but the road is definitely leading there. For the first in a long, long time, Harry Hart does not know what to do.

 

\-----

 

It took Harry three days in total to make a decision. He has no inclination whatsoever to pursue Eggsy in the way that his heart wants. (And now that he has realised exactly what it wants, he is slightly shocked at how much that heart of his _wants_.)

Eggsy is young and beautiful, someone who still have years of brightness ahead of him. Harry isn’t selfish enough to try and keep Eggsy to his world-worn and battered self.

However, he does realise that he still owes Eggsy an apology. He needs Eggsy to know that he being kept in the dark was all about Harry’s inability to trust and nothing to do with Eggsy’s ability as an agent.

Because Harry cannot have been more proud of his proposed candidate.

To see the boy blossoming into an impressive agent while staying true to himself makes Harry’s chest tightened with pride and perhaps something akin to longing.

He is not naïve enough to expect a forgive-and-forget scenario, or that their dynamic will return to what it once was. That is wistful thinking and Harry is nothing but realistic.

He would like to be optimistic though, hopefully Eggsy will forgive him eventually and that he would be a recipient of Eggsy’s smiles and cheeks once more in the future.

Now, all he needs is a good time to approach Eggsy and possibly something that might weaken Eggsy’s defense.

 

\-----

 

It has been nearly a month since Har-, no, since the new _Arthur_ has joined them. Eggsy still has a bit of a rough time referring the man as Arthur and Arthur only even in his head, but he is nothing but stubborn. He’s not sure if they can ever go back to being _Eggsy_ and _Harry_ again.

Most of the anger has died down by the second week of Arthur’s miraculous return but the bitter taste of betrayal and self-doubt still lingers. Did his mentor think that Eggsy isn’t good enough to keep a secret? Or worse, that Eggsy isn’t a good enough _agent_ to help whatever it was that had kept Harry from coming back sooner?

It is like he is back in Harry’s house again, hearing about how disappointed Harry was that he couldn’t shoot JB. Doesn’t Harry understand that Eggsy could never shoot someone he loves, not even for his dreams?

A selfish part of him is still hurt from what Harry has said about doing all of this for Eggsy because of his father. Is he not a man on his own? Has he not proven himself worthy enough to his mentor’s eyes, that he is not his father’s replacement?

A part of him is angry with himself too, because isn’t this what he has wanted for the past 6 months? For Harry to be alive? Not just alive but well too, with only a scar on his temple to show that the shit with Valentine has happened.

The worst of it all is that Har-, Arthur doesn’t seem to be bothered with the change in Eggsy. Every time they have met after that first meeting, their new boss has been all about the work and missions. (A part of him tries very hard not to feel even more bitter about that.)

So to say that Eggsy is surprised to see through the peephole who has just rang his bell is the understatement of the year. He contemplates ignoring the man in front of his house but the knocks come again.

“May I come in Eggsy?” And when has Eggsy been able to deny this man anything? He has jumped out of a bloody plane to prove himself to him for goodness sake.

Eggsy then ignored how his pulse has sped up while opening the door.

Harr-, it’s _Arthur_ dammit, is dressed in his usual dark pinstripe suit, a paper bag in his hand where an umbrella usually is. The glasses are also not the standard Kingsman’s ones.

“I’m on mandatory leave at the moment.” Eggsy just has to make sure that the man knows he cannot use work as an excuse.

“I know. May I come in?” His guest asks again but with no more pressure than the first time. Eggys is almost sure that he will leave if Eggsy says no.

“All right,” a part of Eggsy curses his weak defense. A bigger and more powerful part apparently is curious to why Harry is here.

So Eggsy steps aside to allow his guest in “Thank you, Eggsy.” And dammit if his heart doesn’t ache by just those two syllables of his name in that voice.

It has been more than six months since Eggsy was called that in _that_ voice. The gentleness almost undoes him.

All of the sudden, Eggsy is reminded once again at how close he has come to lose whatever this is forever.

Six fucking long months of going through the motion; the adrenaline spikes being the only thing that remind him that his heart is still beating even if it feels like it was broken on a sunny day in Kentucky. And even now that Harry's been back for a month already, it's still feels like Eggsy's on auto-pilot. 

“Eggsy?” A voice cuts through his wallow and Eggsy briefly wonders how he ever did last this long as a Kingsman agent if just a voice can trigger such a reaction from him.

“Yeah?” his guest is waiting patiently in the foyer, the pair of brown eyes has worry in them and Eggsy absolutely doesn’t want to know how it was that he blanked out.

“Are you all right?” And there it is again, the gentleness that shoots straight to his core and Eggsy wants to curse Harry fucking Hart for having this much control over his emotions.

“Let’s have some tea yeah? Mum took Daisy with her to visit a friend in Wales yesterday so we have the house to ourselves.” Eggsy ignores the question because he seriously doesn’t know the answer to that. He doesn’t wait for a response from the guest either and starts on the path to the kitchen.

( _Because, of fucking course, he isn’t bloody all right. He hasn’t been all right since he saw Harry getting shot in the fucking head._ )

His guest doesn’t answer but does follow him into the dining room, which has no wall to separate it from the kitchen. Eggsy busies himself with putting the water into the kettle before putting it on, and then moves to get two mugs out of the cupboard as well as the tea bags.

The silence between them hangs awkwardly and Eggsy’s mind wonders through the dull ache in his chest over whether his guest takes his tea with anything.

There are so many things that Eggsy hasn’t got a chance to learn about the older gentleman and he doesn’t think his life is that kind of film with second chances.

Because even when there’s a man in his kitchen that looks and sounds like Harry, it still feels like Harry Hart is lost somewhere in the middle of Kentucky.

The sound of the kettle boiling brought Eggsy back to the present, and he has no doubt that his guest has seen him blanked out again, but he can’t seem to bring him to care. He is on mandatory leave for fuck’s sake after a tiring mission and he deserves to be able to let his guard down in his own home.

“How d’you take ya tea?” Eggsy must be more tired than he first thought because that is the most of his accent that has slipped out in the presence of the other man.

“Just a splash of milk please, if you’d be so kind.” The answer comes in a quiet voice, almost like the speaker was afraid to break the silence that hangs around them. Eggsy can’t stop the snort that leaves him without his permission at such politeness.

However, there is no telling off about how ‘ungentlemanly’ that action was so maybe he’s landed in an alternative universe the second he opened the Dining room door to greet the new Arthur with Harry’s face. 

Or maybe he just needs a good long sleep to get his brain working proper again.

“Thank you,” the gentleness is back again and Eggsy has to stop himself from flinching as he hands the guest his tea. His mind wonders once more on how many times a person can withstand heartbreaks before they go mental.

“I believe that I have taken advantage of your hospitality.” Harry put his mug down and straightens up, as if he is going into battle. “I’ve only come here to apologise, Eggsy, for my actions, paranoia and my inability to delegate which have resulted in causing you grief for six months.”

Eggsy can’t hide the flinch this time and he avoids the pair of brown eyes so he missed the whole horde of regret and pain that flash through them.

“I am sorry Eggsy, for keeping my being alive a secret. I had realised too late that Chester King was a traitor and I had to go under to find out just how far his influence had reached.” Eggsy had to put his mug down too because his hands seem to tremble though all of his focus is now gone to process the words he is hearing.

“I believed at the time that I had no choice but to keep it a secret. Not many people would expect a dead agent to come after them and I was intended to make the most out of the element of surprise. I also didn’t expect that my death would affect others.”

“Bull shit.” Eggsy can’t help piping up even if that is interrupting because how can Harry think that? Does he not realise how much he means to the agency? Eggsy’s seen Merlin grieved for Harry too, after they’ve saved the world together. Not to mention how much Harry has meant to Eggsy.

“I know it now, but I did not then. If I had, my course of actions would have been different. I am so sorry Eggsy.”

And may be Eggsy is letting Harry off too easy but it has been a total of _seven fucking months_.

All of the sudden, along what feels like a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders, Eggsy now feels the tiredness down to his bones. His whole frame relaxes, then sways. He would have collapsed on the floor if Harry hasn’t been watching him closely and has a reflex of a Kingsman agent.

“Eggsy?” Harry’s voice sounds alarmed but Eggsy can’t be arsed about that just yet. He’s ended up in Harry’s arms and he pushes his nose under Harry’s jaws and just _breathes_.

For the first time in more than half a year, Eggsy feels like he can breathe again without feeling the gaping hole in his heart.

“ _Harry_ ,” Eggsy is suddenly ashamed at how stricken his voice is. And how much he has yearned to say that name for the past four weeks.

“You hadn’t called me that since I came back.” There is no anger or hurt in the sentence, merely an observation. Or perhaps, an acknowledgement of what Eggsy has been trying to do.

And Eggsy realises that he can say whatever it is he has wanted to say to Harry now.

“Because not only did you get shot in the fucking head, Harry, but you took six months to come back. I know you’re always late, but that is fucking _unforgivable_.” Even with his voice muffles, the pain and anger still filter through. However, Eggsy made no attempt to pull away from the warm embrace even as he thumped the man on the back before curling his fingers onto the suit jacket.

“I am truly sorry about that Eggsy.”

“As ya should be.” And if Eggsy tries to push himself closer to Harry, no one else is there to witness it. Harry himself doesn’t appear to mind that Eggsy seems to want to claw into his chest and stays there.

May be it is humanly possible to fall asleep while standing after all.

 

\-----

 

They have breakfast together at the shop the next morning. Eggsy gives Harry a (long and big) piece of his mind and Harry, being the gentleman that he is, listens and apologises again.

Eggsy is still pretty angry at the older man but it fucking finally feels like he can move on from that now. He didn’t quite realise that he’s been waiting for an apology from Harry until he’s got it.  

The gift helps too. It turns out that it is a set of pens in that paper bag Harry brought with him last night. But they are not just any ordinary, fancy pen. They are not the Kingsman’s standard issued ones with the poison either.

It’s much better.

They are exploding pens.

Eggsy doesn’t know where Harry gets them from but they are his now and he cannot wait to try them out in the field. And apparently these ones are just for a field test; he can give R&D his input after using them for the final adjustment for the new batch.

Eggsy is tempted to forgive Harry there and then when the man explains the reasons behind the secrecy to him. Harry sure knows a way to his heart.

However, he did spend six fucking month grieving. That is a big issue that they need to work on and Harry needs to make up for it.

The man himself doesn’t seem to be complaining either. Actually, their new Arthur seems more than happy to comply.

Of course Eggsy wants none of the special treatment as an agent. He values both of their jobs more than that. However, when it’s just them (it should scare and annoy him how quickly they can go back to being _Eggsy_ and _Harry_ ), he has no problem with Harry spoiling him.

It starts simple, with meals together in the shop as Harry owes him stories of what he was up to when he was ‘dead’. Then that grows into meals at a pub nearby, which leads to some of Harry’s favourite restaurants in London. Harry rarely lets him pay for those meals too and only when he threatens to stop going did Harry reluctantly hands the bill over.

Their conversations stop being about Harry’s time away and become about them in general. A part of Harry’s apology extends to answering any questions Eggsy have. It started off with Harry’s old missions and that turns into just getting to know more about Harry Hart in general.

Eggsy shares his stories too, how much he did enjoy gymnastic during his teenage years to how his little sister is doing, and the things he’s seen from his latest mission.

There are spikes of anger or stings of betrayal from time to time in Eggsy. You don’t suddenly heal from the pain and grief he went through. However, he has learned to try to put them into words or know that a few hours in the gym and punching bags can help clear his head enough to voice the frustrations. Harry always waits and listens when Eggsy is ready to share (or shout) them with Harry and they work through it together. 

Then there are the gifts. Harry didn’t stop with just the exploding pens, which turn out to be originally developed in MI6, but have become a part of their general repertoire of weapons. Most agents still prefer the lighter hand grenade but Eggsy likes clicking the pen before throwing it at bad guys.

He now has several new pairs of cufflinks, tie pins (because apparently a gentleman should have at a least a few) and a brand new, not yet released, pair of the latest Addidas trainers.   

As Arthur, Harry also travels quite often to attend meetings all around the world with other branches and/or intelligent service agencies. Sometimes, Eggsy gets to go with him.

(Being able to spend time with Harry outside London makes up for the fact that these missions are boring as hell. He is basically on babysitting duties here where the ‘baby’ is a highly trained, field agent before. Not that Eggsy ever becomes complacent while being on them, because no matter how competent Harry is, extra pair of eyes, ears, hands and feet always help.

 It’s just that there hasn’t been any shooting or explosion yet at all. And Eggsy knows he should be grateful for them because God knows how he would cope if something ever happens to Harry but, man, they are dull as fuck.)

If not, then Eggsy is not surprised anymore to receive a souvenir (or two, or five, because Harry-fucking-Arthur-Hart doesn’t know the concept of ‘less is more’) from the older man when he returns.

Needless to say, Eggsy is having a more and more difficult time convincing himself that there is absolutely no hope in having his feelings returned. 

(Because Eggsy isn’t stupid enough to not realise that what he feels for Harry is devoid of any romantic feelings. No one goes through the same kind of grief that he did without being in love with the other person.)

 

\-----

 

Harry is in a bit of a dilemma. Apparently he has pushed Merlin’s limit and has gotten an earful from his oldest friend to ‘fucking get a move on and ask Eggsy to move in already for fuck’s sake’.

It is not that Harry does not want to (because there are no words to describe the desire in his heart). He is not an amateur spy either, not to notice the lingering looks from Eggsy. In fact, the lines between them were never clear-cut in the first place, what with him subconsciously showing off by beating the guys at the Black Prince on their second meeting and all.

However, Harry is still unsure over how to proceed. On one hand, they are both spies (even if he is no longer on active duty) where their life spans are unpredictable at best, and too short at worst. It has taught Harry to live his life at its fullest so he will have as little regrets as possible whenever he may die. And now that his heart feels that there may be hope, it has done nothing but yearns and longs for the younger man. 

On the other hand, this relationship with Eggsy is too important to go in blind. Harry has found himself trying to think of as many contingency plans as possible.

He knows that he would have to be the one to make a move on Eggsy since the younger man is unlikely to be making the first step. Not when Harry has already screwed up once and kept his boy in the dark about him not being dead. They are moving on from that but it doesn’t mean that the wound hasn’t left any scars.

And what if the relationship doesn’t work out and it gets bitter between them?

What if someone else more suitable for Eggsy comes along?

What if Harry wouldn’t be able to let Eggsy go and Eggsy becomes bitter with _him_?

 

\-----

 

It is perhaps a bit of a surprise that it was Percival, out of all the people, whom finally knocked some senses into Harry’s thick skull. Harry was left to stew on his own for nearly a week before Merlin came in and promptly dragged him to the nearest pub, where Percival was waiting for them.

A lot of alcohol was involved and their tongues were finally loosened enough to approach the topic. Merlin gave him another talking to about making a goddamn move already.

However, it was Percival’s surprisingly-still-sober tone that gave Harry pause.

“You don’t want to waste time being scared instead of spending it with each other. It’s those times you can never get back.”

Harry remembered once more through his alcohol haze that here was a person who has lost someone important. Percival has always been the epitome of a serious gentleman but everyone in the agency had known about his relationship with the previous Lancelot.

His words hit Harry hard. And suddenly, Harry could see where Merlin was coming from.

So many months have gone by already, it’s time Harry gets his act together and starts to really make up for it.

 

\-----

 

The next morning, Eggsy found a single red rose outside his doorstep. There is a small white card that just says ‘Good morning Eggsy’ with no name signed on it. 

Not that Eggsy needs any, he has seen this handwriting enough times to know who it’s from.

That’s probably the reason why the blush spreads from his cheeks to his neck.

 

\-----

 

“Why did you send me a rose this morning?” It’s the first thing out of Eggsy’s mouth after he’s burst into Harry’s office.

“Knocking Eggsy,” Harry answers offhandedly before putting his pen down and giving Eggsy his full attention. “And I just felt the urge to give you flowers, did you not like it?”

Eggsy narrows his eyes in skepticism but Harry doesn’t sound like it was meant to be a joke. Actually, Harry has stilled his movement and his face schooled so neutral that Eggsy knows it’s unnatural.

His gut tells him that this is Harry looking nervous and it calms him a bit.

So he gathers up his courage and answers quietly, “I did like it.”

The smile that breaks through Harry’s face makes Eggsy’s heart skips a beat, or three, before it dims down slightly.

“You are always so kind Eggsy and I really shouldn’t be asking, to put you into this position. But I’ve seen enough of the world and have done enough for it to want to be selfish sometimes.” Harry’s standing up now and Eggsy can’t hear anything else other than Harry’s voice and the blooding rushing through his ears but he ain’t moving his feet. His eyes tracking Harry’s movement till he’s standing right in front of Eggsy.

“Would you like to go out with me?” Eggsy’s not quite sure if he’s heard or interpreted the question correctly or not so he’s ended up just blinking owlishly at Harry.

“Like… a date?”

“Yes, if you would like to.”

“A date with you, Harry. And me.”

“Yes, if you want to of course.”

Eggsy replays this bit of the conversation in his head several times before concluding that he’s not read it wrong before taking a deep breath.

“Of course I want to you bloody wanker. What took you so long to _ask_?” Eggsy knows he’s blushing like mad, he can feel his hot cheeks but he can’t help the grin that breaks out either. Not when an identical grin and relief wash over Harry’s face either, before Harry’s brown eyes soften. And yeah, Eggsy can probably die now.

“Because I was scared, darling.” Okay, Eggsy may really die here.

“’Arry, you can’t go ‘round sayin’ things like tha’.” Eggsy’s not going to swoon, no he’s not. Not even when Harry’s looking at him like he’s the best thing that’s ever happened. He’s a grown man for fuck sake.

“You don’t like pet names, Eggsy?”

“Oh I don’t mind them babe, but I’d rather have a kiss instead yeah?”

“I’m afraid I don’t kiss anyone until after our first date, darling.” And that’s cruel. That’s so cruel it’s inhuman. Eggsy’s not afraid to state his case with Harry either but the man’s not bulging.

“A bit of anticipation does wonder, my dear.”

 

\-----

 

Unsurprisingly, Harry’s right about delayed gratification, as Eggsy finds out for himself while being thoroughly snogged outside his front door after their first date.

 

**Author's Note:**

> And they live happily ever after. Well, as happily as two spies would anyway. 
> 
> Yay *throws confetti* Hopefully it wasn't too... chunky? I started and stopped writing this piece for so many times that I worry it wouldn't quite flow... I'm so glad it's finished though and that I'm posting it now. 
> 
> So yes. This is my take on how Eggsy finds out that Harry's alive and how they both deal with the situation and FINALLY KISS. 
> 
> Also, cookies to anyone who gets my 'MI6''s references! ;D
> 
> I can go to bed now. Hope you like it! 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading this, kudos and comments are much appreciated!


End file.
